Device for discharging viscous fluid



V. L. MYERS ETAL DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING VISCOUS FLUID A ril 28, 1964 2Sheets-Sheecl Filed Feb. 6, 1962 FIG.2

April 28, 1964 v, L. MYERS ETAL DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING VISCOUS FLUID 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1962 FIG 4 N a a; zw ig w wa w Z3 M NIT T/0N W #5 5 M VWM w United States Patent DEVICE FQR DHSCHARGING VISCOUSFLUH) Vernon L. Myers, Crave (Ioeur, Vincent G. Biedenstein,

Overland, and Rolland A. Nelson, Creve Coeur, Mo,

assignors to R. C. Can Company, Overland, Me, a corporation of MissouriFiled Feb. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 171,385 3 Claims. (Cl. 22282) Thisinvention relates to dispensing of fluids and proposes a new use forwhat are known as dispensing guns, that is, for discharging the fluidcontents from disposable type sealed cans. In addition, this inventionalso relates to an improvement in dispensing guns and cans for use inthese guns whereby the gun provides means to puncture the can, dischargeits contents completely, and then eject the can from the gun.

There are many kinds of oils and semi-fluids now on the market which aremerchandised in quart, or smaller than quart, s zed cans. These cans aredischarged by puncturing one end of the can and pouring out thecontents. It is well known that under certain conditions many fluidswill not pour well, and that still others will not pour at all unlesspressure is imposed on the contents to forcibly discharge the contents.This is especially true of grease, and it has been customary to applyexternal pressure to the grease in a grease cartridge for this purpose.However, a grease gun which receives the cartridge discharges only ashot of grease at a time, and, unless applied to a grease fitting, itdischarges at high velocity due to the high pressures used in actuatingthe gun. Such a device as a grease gun would not be suitable where it isdesired to discharge the entire contents of a can all at one time, noris it adaptable to speed up the normal pouring rate of fluids, orsemi-fluids. What is needed is a gun with a regulated pressure, onewhich will accommodate a range of size of cans, one which is simple touse, does not leak or create a mess, and one from which the cans areautomatically ejected, or loosened, for removal by hand, or otherwise,after the can has been fully emptied. No gun known will meet thesespecifications, and to Applicants knowledge, guns have not been used todischarge a pourable fluid from a disposable can. In this particular useas in others, it is also desirable to obtain complete discharge of thecan contents by the use of the gun. This is possible when using a canconstructed according to this invention.

According to this invention, a dispensing gun is used to discharge apourable substance from a disposable can thereby avoiding the delayinvolved in depending upon the pourability of the contents. Regardlessof the viscosity, a rapid discharge is obtained in most instances by avery moderate gun pressure. The gun itself is a relatively inexpensivepiece of equipment, and, as will be hereinafter described, it may bemerely a slight modification of readily obtainable guns now on themarket. The can adapted for use in the gun may be any one of a varietyof sizes within certain ranges, and, as an example, a range of cans insizes of a quart or less are described hereinafter. The can used isrelatively simple and inexpensive to construct, and except for size maybe merely a slight modification of a cartridge for caulking compound,greases, and the like, already being manufactured.

We are well aware of the prior attempts in the art to package viscousfluids in crushable or collapsible packages for the purpose of adaptingthe package to be completely crushed in order to dispense its contents.These attempts have as yet not been successful.

It is an object of this invention to dispense semi-liquids, or liquids,from a disposable can under pressure by the 3,130,872 Patented Apr. 28,1964 use of a dispensing gun to speed up the normal pouring rate of theliquid and save time.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing gun inwhich the pressure applied can be regulated, making the gun easy to use.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a gun which willopen the can to dispense the contents thereof and which will then aidejection of the can after the dispensing operation is completed.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a can adaptablefor use in a dispensing gun.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a can from whichthere is little loss or waste when used in a dispensing gun.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from thefollowing description which is in such clear, concise and exact terms aswill enable any one skilled in the art to make and use the inventionwhen taken with the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, andin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing gun suitable for thepurposes herein described;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the discharge spout end of thegun in FIG. 1 with parts broken away so as to show the relative positionof the piercing end of the spout in the gun with respect to a can shownin phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the parts of the spout assembly;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the can used with thedispensing gun in FIG. 1 and illustrating the initial piercing action ofthe spout;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the operation of thegun in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view illustrating ejection of the canfrom the gun; and,

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view through a modified form of gun.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the dispensing gun, generally illustrated by thereference character 10, has a stationary handle 11 mounting a pivot 12for a trigger-like lever 13 by which the gun is operated. In the handle11 is a ratchet mechanism operated by the trigger 13 and engaging theteeth 14 on the rod 15. This mechanism is responsive to squeezing of thetrigger 13 toward the handle 11 to move the rod 15 by engagement withthe teeth 14, advancing the ram, or plunger, 17 in a direction away fromthe handle and toward the spout end of the gun It]. On the spout end ofthe gun 10 is a notched plate 19 mounted on and formed integrally withthe extension, or guideway, 29 which also attaches to the handle portion11 of the gun.

From the description so far, it will be readily recognized that the gunIt) is a standard type obtainable on the market and used specificallyfor discharging caulking compound from cartridges provided with adischarge spout. The slot in the end plate 19 is specifically adapted toreceive the spout of the caulking compound cartridge. To modify thepresent gun for the purposes intended here, it is necessary first toprovide a rotatable connection between the rod 15 and the ram 17 so thatthe rod 15 can be turned by its finger piece 24 to release the teeth 14from the ratchet mechanism within the handle 11 and retract the ram, orplunger, 17. This latter member is also modified by providing it with anarcuate notch 25, and by providing the ram 17 with a notch 16' whichwill index the position of ram 17 when retracted by registry withtapered finger 16. Plate 19 is provided with a piercing type of spoutlocated in a hole suitably provided below the slot in the end plate 19.This particular spout and its pieces are shown in the exploded view,FIG. 3. It is also desirable to chop off the upper edge of plate 19along the line 18.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the spout 26 is threaded at 27 to receive a nut28. Spout 26 is inserted through the hole in the end plate 19 untilflange 29 abuts the inner face of the plate 19. Nut 28 is then threadedon from the outside to tightly secure the spout in the position shown inFIG. 2. The inner end of the spout 30 is cut on the diagonal so as toprovide a sharp piercing point 31. The piercing end 30 projects beyondthe collar, or flange, 29 far enough to receive thereon one or moreO-rings, such as 33, made of a rubber-like material. The assembly isclearly illustrated in FIG. 2, and it will be noted therein that thepiercing point 31 is located to be just below the top of arcuate notchin ram 17.

With the ram 17 retracted, the can 40 is dropped into place within theguideway formed by extension 20. Trigger 13 is then actuated and ratchetmember advances the ram forcing the end of the can 40 against thepiercing point 31.

FIG. 4 illustrates a can which is suitable for use in the gun It) in themanner above described, and the initial piercing action of piercingpoint 31. This can has a body 42 preferably formed by spirally woundstrips of paper adhesively secured one to another. The discharge end ofthe can has a metal end closure 43 which, when pressed against thepiercing point 31, will be penetrated in the manner shown in FIG. 4.Piercing point 31 cuts a hole the size of the piercing end of the spout,as shown at 45, bending back the metal of the hole into a tongue 46. Asthe ram 17 continues to push upon the can 40, the end outer face of theend closure 43 is forced against the O-ring 33, compressing the O-ring.Flange 29 is wide enough to permit the bead 48 at the end of the can 40to contact the end plate 19 after the O-ring is compressed suflicient toform a seal. This seal prevents seepage of the contents of the can 40outwardly of the spout around the piercing end 30.

The other end of the container 40 is closed by a closure 50 which hascircumferentially extending flanges 51 and 52 which-grip the inside andoutside of the wall of the can 42. The center section of the end closure50 is preferably dome-shaped, as at 54, and the entire closure 50 isformed of a rubber-like material, preferably a polystyrene. There is aweakened section in the closure 50 extending around the edge of theflange 51 and indicated as 55.

Initially, the pressure of the ram produces piercing as shown in FIG. 4,thereafter as movement of the ram 17 continues, it will first fracturethe closure 50 along the circumferential weakened section 55 and thenmove the closure 5! through the interior of the can 42 forcing thecontents of the container through the spout 26. This action of the gunis illustrated in FIG. 5.

The force of ram 17 is usually suflicient to flatten the dome portion 54of the closure 50 in some degree. This will cause the closure 50 toexpand diametrically and form a tight seal with the inner wall 42 of thecan. The ram 17 fits within the flange 51 and presses against the outersurface of the dome portion 54 except the portion of the dome 54opposite the arcuate cutout 25 of the ram. The upper margin of thecutout 25 is located to pass above the piercing point 31. When the ramfinally reaches the full line position in FIG. 5, the contents of thecan is totally forced out in those portions of the can end 43 oppositethe ram. Furthermore, the dome portion 54 is flattened between thesurface of the ram 17 and the can end 43. This causes the dome portion54 to bulge through the arcuate cutout 25 in ram 17 and form a pocketlike cavity around the end of the piercing spout 30. Usually the pocketlike cavity is of suflicient depth so that although the piercing point31 engages the front face of the closure 50, the force is not sufficientto cut through, although this may happen occasionally. In any event,piercing closure St) has no elfect on operation. It has also beendiscovered by repeated tests that the closure 50 will engage tongue 46and fold it upon itself as shown in FIG. 5, and although the tongue maybe bent back upon itself as shown in FIG. 5, and although the tongue maybe bent back upon itself and toward the opening in the spout 30, apassage is still left open which will drain the can almost completely.In other words, the purchaser of the can gets a full measure whereas insome instances it has been known that as much as an ounce of liquid waswasted because it remained in the can. Oil additives are by nature thickand sticky substances which even when heated to temperatures which makethe can uncomfortable to handle, do not readily pour. By the use of agun, cans of additive have been successfully emptied almost completely,even when cold, and heating is not necessary or even desirable when agun is used.

After the can is emptied by forcing the ram 17 to its limit of movementas shown in FIG. 5, a couple of more squeezes on the trigger will assurethe operator the can is squeezed dry. Rod 24 is then rotated to pointhandle 24 up and the ram 17 withdrawn. The can 42 can be held by handwhile ram 17 is withdrawn. O-ring 33 expands and by inverting the gun,can 43 will fall out in the manner shown in FIG. 6. The clearanceprovided by chopping of the upper part of end plate 19 along the line18, and the shape of the point 30 allows the can to rotate olf thepiercing point 31.

FIG. 7 shows a different kind of gun. One which derives its force fromcompressed air, or the like, which is readily available at gasolineservice stations, for example. In this particular gun, the handle 60carries a cylinder 61 within which is a piston 62. A spring 63 biasesthe piston 62 toward the open end of the cylinder 61. Projecting fromone side of the piston 62 is a trigger 65 secured to the piston andoperable by hand pressure to move the piston 62 into the cylinder 61when atmospheric pressure only exists in the cylinder 61. An extension67 from the cylinder 61 mounts an end plate 69 which carries a spout 26,constructed exactly as heretofore described, and mounted in a hole inthe end plate 69. In this type of gun, the trigger 65 is operated toretract the piston 62 against the spring pressure 63. A can 70 is thenplaced upon the tguideway formed by the extension 67, and the trigger 65released. Spring 63 then operates piston 62 into a position to contactwith the end of the can 70. This end of the can is closed by a closure72 constructed very similar to the closure 50, heretofore described. Inthe face 64 of the piston 62 are one or more very small holes 75. Afterthe trigger 65 is released and the can firmly gripped between the faceof the piston 64 and the piercing end 31 of the dispensing spout, thenipple 77 is connected with an air holse. Preferably the nipple 77 isconstructed the same as a stem for a pneumatic tire. It will thencooperate with the fitting at the end of the air hose to release the airto charge the cylinder 61. The increased air pressure forces the piston62 against the end of the can 70 and drives it into contact with thelimit stops 79 on the plate 69 thereby compressing O-ring 33 and formingthe seal. Of course, the piercing end 31 punctures the can end 80. Afterthe can 70 has moved against the stop 79, the piston 62 will have itsface in tight sealing engagement against the rim of the closure 72 whichwill form a gasket to prevent air leakage from between the end of thepiston 62 and the end of the can 70. Air pressure bleeding through theaperture then increases the pressure between the face of the piston 62and the opposite face of the closure 72 fracturing the closure andforcing its piston part 32 in a direction toward the spout 26. Duringthe actuation of the piston 82 by the air pressune, the piston portion82 will expand forming a tight seal with the interior of the can 70. Asshown in this operational View, the piston portion 82 will finallyoccupy a position in which it is held against the end closure 88 andwrapped around the end of the spout 31. At this point, the contents ofthe can 70 are completely discharged. The air is then shut oil? from thegun by disconnecting the hose fitting from the stem 77 and the trigger65 actuated to withdraw the piston 62. When the pressure of the piston62 is relieved from the end of the can 70, 'O-n'ng 33 will expandejecting the can 70 from the spout end 31 when the gun is inverted, asbefore described in PEG. 6. The can then can be removed or allowed tofall into a trash receptacle. Since it is a disposable type ofcontainer, it has no further utility. In the description of FIG. 7, thepiston 62 performs the same function as the plunger, or ram, 17 in FIG.1, consequently, the same terminology would apply as we'll to themodification in FIG. 7.

In operation, a can, such as 42 or 70, of oil or the like is taken fromthe rack and dropped into the guideway formed by the extension 20 of thegun in FIG. 1, or 67 in the gun in FIG. 6. The gun is then operated asabove described to discharge the contents within either can, it beingunderstood that either can 42, or can 70, can be used in either gun.After the can has been discharged, the ram 17, or ram 62, depending onthe type of gun used, is retracted and the can is ejected by the storedcompressive forces in the rubber-like O-ring 33.

Changes in and modifications of the construction described may be madewithout departing from the spirit of our invention or sacrificing itsadvantages.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for discharging highly viscous fluid such as a thick oilfrom a can, said can having (a) a tubular body closed at one end by (b)a can end closure, and at its opposite end by (c) a piston-like endclosure with a skirt within the tubular body and (d) flexibledomes-haped piston head joined to said skirt, the improvementcomprising,

(1) a guideway shaped to receive and support said tubular body (a) ofsaid can,

(2) a fixed end plate at one end of said guideway (1),

(3) a spout mounted in said fixed end plate (2) having a discharge endon one side of said end plate,

(4) a piercing point on said spout (3) projecting from the opposite sideof said end plate (2) beside said guideway (1) and provided with acutting edge dis- 6 posed in a diagonal plane inclined away from said.guideway (1),

(5) a resilient sealing ring around said piercing point (4) and heldagainst movement away from said piercing point by said end plate (2),

(6) a movable part on said device operable to move along said guideway(1) toward and away from said piercing point (4),

(7) means on said device, under the control of an operator for movingsaid movable part (6) away from said piercing point (4) so that a canbody (a) may be placed on said guidew-ay (1) with its metal end closure(b) adjacent said piercing point (4), and

(8) means to move said movable part (6) toward said piercing point (4)to puncture said end closure (b) and compress said resilent sealing ring(5), and then to move said piston-like end closure (0) against said endclosure (b) to discharge the contents of said can from said spout (3),

whereby the flexible dome-shaped piston head of said flexible endclosure (c) is flattened on said end closure (b) and formed into apocket around said piercing point (4) during the discharge of thecontents from said can and on subsequent actuation of said means (7) thecan is ejected from said piercing point (4) by expansion of said sealingring (5).

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 in which said movable part (6)is a plunge-r with a notched periphery.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 in which said movable part (6)is a plunger which forms air tight seal with one end of said can and themeans (8) to move said movable part (6) and said piston-like end closure(b) includes an air cylinder in which said plunger acts as a piston andconnecting passages to said air cylinder and through said plunger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,051,736 Misfeldt Aug. 18, 1936 2,105,039 Hulme Ian. 11, 1938 2,421,711Moots et al. June 3, 1947 2,588,819 Garneau Mar. 11, 1952 2,593,362Taylor Apr. 15, 1952 2,941,699 Schmidt et al June 21, 1960 3,029,985Krueger et al Apr. 17, 1962

1. IN A DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING HIGHLY VISCOUS FLUID SUCH AS A THICK OILFROM A CAN, SAID CAN HAVING (A) A TUBULAR BODY CLOSED AT ONE END BY (B)A CAN END CLOSURE, AND AT ITS OPPOSITE END BY (C) A PISTON-LIKE ENDCLOSURE WITH A SKIRT WITHIN THE TUBULAR BODY AND (D) FLEXIBLE DOMESHAPEDPISTON HEAD JOINED TO SAID SKIRT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, (1) AGUIDWAY SHAPED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SID TUBULAR BODY (A) OF SAID CAN,(2) A FIXED END PLATE AT ONE END OF SAID GUIDEWAY (1), (3) A SPOUTMOUNTED IN SAID FIXED END PLATE (2) HAVING A DISCHARGE END ON ONE SIDEOF SAID END PLATE, (4) A PIERCING POINT ON SID SPOUT (3) PROJECTING FROMTHE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID END PLATE (2) BESIDE SAID GUIDEWAY (1) ANDPROVIDED WITH A CUTTING EDGE DISPOSED IN A DIAGONAL PLANE INCLINED AWAYFROM SAID GUIDEWAY (1), (5) A RESILIENT SEALING RING AROUND SAIDPIERCING POINT (4) AND HELD AGAINST MOVEMENT AWAY FROM SAID PIERCINGPOINT BY LSAID END PLATE (2), (6) A MOVABLE PART ON SAID DEVICE OPERABLYTO MOVE ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY (1) TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID PIERCING POINT(4), (7) MEANS ON SAID DEVICE, UNDER THE CONTROL OF AN OPERATOR FORMOVING SAID MOVABLE PART (6) AWAY FROM SAID PIERCING POINT (4) SO THAT ACAN BODY (A) MAY BE PLACED ON SAID GUIDEWAY (1) WITH ITS METAL ENDCLOSURE (B) ADJACENT SAID PIERCING POINT (4), AND (8) MEANS TO MOVE SAIDMOVABLE PART (6) TOWARD SAID PIERCING POINT (4) TO POUNCTURE SAID ENDCLOSURE (B) AND COMPRESS SAID RESILENT SEALING RING (5), AND THEN TOMOVE SAID PISTON-LIKE END CLOSURE (C) AGAINST SAID END CLOSURE (B) TODISCHARGE THE CONTENTS OF SAID CAN FROM SAID SPOUT (3), WHEREBY THEFLEXIBLE DOME-SHAPED PISTON HEAD OF SID FLEXIBLE END CLOSURE (C) ISFLATTENED ON SAID END CLOUSRE (B) AND FORMED INTO A POCKET AROUND SAIDPIERCING POINT (4) DURING THE DISCHARGE OF THE CONTENTS FROM SAID CANAND ON SUBSEQUENT ACTUATION JOF SAID MEANS (7) THE CAN IS EJECTED FROMSAID PIERCING POINT (4) BY EXPANSION OF SAID SEALING RING (5).